Just Another West Side Story
by The Mad Hatteress
Summary: The Ragicans and the Hollowers are warring gangs. Their members hate each other's guts. But sometimes, love blossoms in the most unexpected places. (I don't know what this is don't make me summarise)
1. A Brief Introduction

**A/N: So. Been a while. I have been suffering from extreme writer's block (blame my English teacher) and just completely fell out of love with writing. But now I'm going to try and get back into it, so here we go. I don't know where this story is going, so to quote the wisdom of our overlord Fluke, "Don't expect things, and we should be fine." Love you all. Hatter xoxo**

**Just Another West Side Story**

**Chapter One**

Fluke's booted feet smacked down on the darkened pavement rhythmically, as though he were listening to a song with a strong drumbeat behind it. In fact, his battered combat boots were dancing to the beat of the angered shouts of the Ragicans behind him. Fluke looked back over his shoulder and stuck his tongue out, infuriating them further. Fluke's blue overshirt flowed out behind him as he ran through the streets of Leeds, illuminated only by the passing yellow beams coming from the streetlamps and the white flashes of car headlights.

He veered down an alley tucked between a fish and chip shop and a store selling baby clothes, pushing off against the wall so he lost no momentum. Fluke sprinted down to the end of the narrow street which was blocked off by a red-brick wall, about eight feet tall. It appeared he was trapped. Fuck.

Gubiak and Evanz hurtled clumsily into the alleyway, looking around for any trace of the blond pain-in-the-ass. They checked behind bins, _in _bins, even running their hands over the walls for any trace of a hidden wall. Who knew what those fucking Hollowers had been up to? They searched for a good ten minutes, before Gubiak shrugged and turned to Evanz.

"He's not here. Let's just head back, I'm missing MLP for this shit."

Evanz rolled his eyes, but began walking back towards the entrance of the alley, shoving his hands in his jeans pockets as he went. "Come on then, let's make sure Rage hasn't burned down the apartment."

Behind the wall, Fluke covered his mouth with his hand to stifle his snickering.

* * *

><p>Fluke pushed open the door to the flat he shared with Hollow, Juke, Peace, and Leni, making a deliberate racket as he entered. Juke and Peace were working late that evening, and who knew what the fuck the bright-haired couple had been up to in the few hours he had been absent.<p>

"Honey, I'm home!" he yelled, nudging the door shut with his butt as he strolled into the central living room and flopped down on the couch. Their 'base' (really just a shitty apartment in a fairly nice part of Leeds) was somewhat oddly laid-out, and a lucky find for their group. The living room slash kitchen slash bathroom (there was a tiny little toilet tucked away behind a door in the corner of the living room) was the central area, and three bedrooms fanned out around it. Hollow and Leni took one, and Fluke, Peace, and Juke had played rock-paper-scissors to see who would get to have a room to themselves. Unsurprisingly, Juke had won. Instead of moping, though, Peace and Fluke had combed Ebay and managed to procure a cheap bunkbed so that (as Peace put it) 'every night was like a sleepover'.

Hollow was in the kitchen, a mug in his hand, his blue hair sticking up in a Sonic-esque manner. Fluke raised an eyebrow.

"What have you been up to?"

Hollow gave him a withering look. "Not what you're thinking. I've decided to give up with hairstyling. It's too much effort."

"Our fearless gang-leader making the tough decisions." Fluke leaned back, crossing his ankles over each other on one arm of the sofa and linking his hands behind his head as he leant against the other.

"Boots off the couch." Leni's voice drifted from the doorway of the bedroom as her pink head bobbed into view.

"Just for you LouLou." Fluke grinned, swinging his legs down and untying his boots. "Did you get the job?"

Leni did a little spin and leant over the back of the couch, grinning in Fluke's face. "Yup! Officially working in Superdrug. My makeup skills are finally going to be useful for more than making you look even prettier."

"Stop flirting with Fluke." Hollow said, accentuating his grumpy façade.

The door swung open and Peace and Juke stumbled in, Peace grinning widely as he waved his envelope with his payslip contained within.

"Tonight, we feast!" He gestured to the plastic bag that Juke was holding and the distinctive smell of Chinese takeaway wafted through the four room flat. Strolling over to the table, Juke laid out their bounty; duck pancakes, sweet-and-sour chicken, shredded beef, stir fry, chicken fried rice, seaweed, and the ever-present prawn crackers. The five of them descended upon the meal like hawks, devouring the delicious treat like they hadn't eaten in weeks.

"What brought this on?" Will asked, through a mouthful of stir fry.

"Did you all forget? It's our five year gang-aversary!" Peace grinned, waving his fork in the air.

Hollow smiled. "Oh yeah, it's been that long. Hard to believe."

"We were so young!" Fluke said, dramatically clutching his hands over his heart and smiling widely at his friends.

"Fluke, you're 23. We still ARE young." Juke said, smiling gently at his friend's foolishness.

Leni grinned. "Young and hip, right?"

"Super hip. The hippest." Hollow joked.

The five of them stayed up late that night, and didn't return to their rooms until the early hours of the next morning. None of them had early shifts, so they were indulging in their lie-ins. Hollow and Leni in their double bed, surrounded by Hollow's posters and Leni's makeup and hair-dye; Juke in his quiet room painted a shade of pale blue he'd picked up himself (Fluke had offered to help him paint, an offer Juke had politely declined); and Peace and Fluke in their green bedroom, Peace on the top bunk and Fluke below him.

An odd family, but a loving one. The best any of them had.

* * *

><p>Evanz and Gubi returned to their humble abode, to find Rage and Danni on the sofa with a plate of hand-baked chocolate chip cookies. Rage was pouting.<p>

"Danni made me wait for you guys to come back before we got to eat the cookies." He pushed his glasses back up his nose as Evanz plucked a cookie off the top of the plate and took a large bite.

"I brought home extras from the bakery. We had some left over, and the boss said since I made them I could take them." Danni smiled sunnily, letting Gubiak and Rage take their own cookies before taking one herself.

"Oh my god, this is why we put up with Rage. Your cookies." Evanz grinned cheekily, finishing his cookie and wiping crumbs from his face before moving over to the fridge to grab a can of coke.

Their home was more conventional than that of the Hollowers, a central corridor with a tiny kitchenette, main room, and bedroom on the right and a bathroom plus two more bedrooms on the left. Danni and Rage shared the room on the right, while Evanz and Gubiak occupied the two on the left. It was a comfortable living arrangement, and all of them chipped in to pay the rent.

It had taken a few months of apartment hunting before they found a place that felt to all of them like a new home, but they'd found it in this flat. It was small, and smelled a bit funny, but it was their place.

The four of them had polished off the cookies in record time, making Danni promise to bring home some more baked goods the next day.

"You know, you guys might need to start watching your figures. You can't just live off cookies, you know." Danni teased, prompting Rage to make offended noises and show off his 'muscles'.

"I will have you know I am in fine physical condition!" he said indignantly.

Their evening was an ordinary night in for the gang that Rage called 'The Crew' and everyone else knew as the 'Ragicans'. Rage thought 'The Crew' sounded much more threatening, like they were the kind of gang that people were intimidated by instead of being the type of gang that was more a group of layabout teens spraying crude graffiti on the walls of unsuspecting buildings. Everyone else thought that 'The Crew' just sounded stupid (even Danni, though she would never have said so to his face, unlike Evanz and Gubiak who frequently told him how dumb of a name that was).

The four of them stayed up til gone midnight, facing off against each other in the array of multiplayer games that they had collected over the years. When they finally fell into their separate beds, the sun was only an hour or so away from peeking its head over the horizon in a manner that seemed almost to say "Rise and shine, motherfuckers! Day has come!" Rage did not like the mornings. Fuck you, sun.

* * *

><p>As usual, neither of the two gangs thought of each other in the evenings they spent apart. Their rivalry peeked and ebbed like a river, only with more occasions where it seemed like the banks would burst and any nearby civilisation would be completely flooded. So far, though, they hadn't located each other's homes and as long as they were safe there, none of them were particularly worried for their own lives. Although Hollow and Rage had the most intense dislike of each other, Fluke and Evanz were the two that butted heads the most often. Fluke had a tendency to provoke the shorter boy, though their altercations had never gone beyond barbed witticisms and the occasional testicle-kick.<p>

The Hollowers and the Ragicans. Their hatred of each other had been long-lived, but the peek had come three years ago, in the summer of 2012.

Or more specifically, one day. Actually, one evening. A warm night that none of them had ever forgotten.


	2. Summer, 2012

**A/N: So. It's been a month. I suck, I know. But here you are, finally. I think this one's a little darker than the last one, a bit more like a real gang. I hope you like it. You know how I'll know what you think? If you review :3**

**Just Another West Side Story**

**Chapter Two**

**Summer, 2012**

The sun beamed down and Rage was complaining, as usual. Danni's small, slender hand was cupped within his larger one and she squeezed lightly to make him quiet down.

"It's nice, Rage. Enjoy the sunshine for once." She smiled brightly.

"But it's _outside_. It's just as warm at home, and there we would be indoors."

"Fresh air is good for you." Evanz said, grinning at his leader, earning himself a glare and a pout from Rage.

It really was a nice day – just on the right side of too hot. Light t-shirt weather, definitely (though Rage had suggested Gubiak should wear a jumper to cover up his newly-purchased Applejack shirt). For early June, the day was bright and clear with only a faint breeze sending gentle shivers through their bodies whenever they walked through the shadows of the buildings.

Danni lead them down towards the market. She had convinced them that all three of them needed to get out of the house and enjoy the sunshine. The market was bright and loud, selling everything from fresh fruit to secondhand CDs. Rage, Evanz, and Gubi gravitated straight towards a stand selling used video games for almost worryingly low prices as Danni purchased food for the next few weeks. She was just stopping by a stall hawking sweets (she thought she could use them to decorate her cupcakes) when she walked squarely into a small girl with oddly bright hair – black and long with pink and blue streaks, and a vibrantly orange fringe.

"Oh, sorry!" Her accent was thick. German, Danni guessed.

"It was my fault, I wasn't looking!" Danni apologised, gathering her spilt groceries off the ground.

"I wasn't either, and now your fruit is covered in dirt. I'll buy you some sweets as an apology." The strange girl waved away Danni's protests. "Sh, don't worry. What do you like?"

"Um, one of those lollipops…" Danni smiled shyly and the stranger picked up a bag of Cola bottles, then a 5th Avenue bar. The bright-haired girl smiled.

"I'm Leni, by the way."

"Danni." She smiled and held out a hand for Leni to shake.

"Don't look now, but it's Hollow." Evanz muttered to Rage. Rage looked up and saw the taller brunet boy a few stands away with that blond asshole by his side. Fluke, Evanz thought his name might be.

Hollow could feel eyes on the back of his skull and turned slightly to see that prick Rage standing there with his typical dopey look. Hollow groaned in the back of his throat and alerted Fluke to their presence. "Where are Peace and Juke?" he asked.

"I don't know, somewhere over by the ice cream stand I think."

"Go get them. There might be some shit about to go down."

Gubiak nudged Rage to let him know that Hollow had spotted them and was ambling over, hands in his jeans pockets.

"Hey, jerk." Hollow said, a smile curving on his lips. Rage glowered.

"Fuck off."

The tensions had been thick between them for so long that they had both forgotten what had first started it. Rage thought it had been the time in year 9 Hollow had stolen the affection of the girl Rage had been crushing on for ages (ok, he had never talked to her, but still!). Hollow was convinced it was the occasion in year 8 when Rage had accidentally tipped an entire bottle of orange juice on Hollow's lap in the courtyard then had defended himself by blaming Hollow's lap for being in the way of his falling orange juice. In fact, their hatred had begun later, in year 10, when they had duelled each other in World of Warcraft and had both wrecked each other's shit. Being sore losers, they had both taken it personally and had hated each other ever since.

"It's a nice day, don't be so hostile man." Hollow grinned.

"You clearly came over here to start shit, douche." Rage said, standing up a little straighter so that Hollow wasn't quite so much taller than him.

"Don't. Call. Me. Douche." Hollow's easy smile darkened slightly.

"What are you gonna do about it? There's three of us and one of you." Evanz sighed inwardly, feeling like he needed to hand himself over to the cliché police.

"Who said so?" Hollow took a step forward.

"Anyone with eyes, moron." Rage said, letting his lip curl a little in distaste. As if on queue, Fluke returned with Peace and Juke in tow, making the final total four against three. Rage and Hollow were practically standing toe-to-toe, and who knows what would have happened had Leni and Danni not walked towards the group talking happily. They stopped just short of the group, staring at the two boys on the verge of hitting each other in confusion.

"Danni?" "Leni?" Hollow and Rage turned to their girlfriends and spoke at the same time, then looked back to glare at each other.

"So you're...?" Danni trailed off, pointing at Hollow.

"Afraid so. And you're…" Leni reciprocated the gesture, but aimed at Rage.

"Unfortunately."

The two girls sighed. "Let's swap numbers, ok?" Danni quickly tapped Leni's number into her phone and shot the German girl a text, before they hugged. Leni beckoned to Hollow and Danni called to Rage.

Girlfriends. The perfect way to diffuse an intense stalemate.

* * *

><p>"The next time I see Rage I'm gonna smack his face into the ground." Hollow grumbled, sitting down in front of the sofa and scowling at the wall. Fluke and Peace shared a look behind Hollow's head. Leni gave Hollow a cup of tea in his favourite mug – a black one with a yellow Batman logo on it. She patted his head and surreptitiously pulled her phone out of her pocket, chuckled at something Danni had said, and sat down on the sofa.<p>

Meanwhile, Rage was glowering at the television. Evanz patted his head gently.

"There, there, Rage. Hit him in the face next time."

Danni had her feet on Rage's lap, crossed over at the ankles and her phone rested lightly on her knee. It buzzed with a message from Leni and Danni grinned at something on her phone. Rage groaned. "I can't believe you're friends with the girlfriend of _Hollow_, of all people!"

"She's nice, and she bought me a lolly." Danni smiled at her boyfriend, and Rage harrumphed.

**DANNI: Is Hollow freaking out as much as Rage is?**

**LENI: He's being grumpy with tea at the moment XD**

**DANNI: They'll get over it :P**

* * *

><p>A few days passed, the weather got warmer, and Rage and Hollow managed to avoid each other entirely. Until Fluke rounded a corner on the way home from work and walked straight into Evanz and Rage.<p>

"Well, if it isn't Hollow's favourite lackey." Rage smirked at the blond, who rolled his eyes and turned the other way.

"Where you going, Flukey?" Rage called mockingly, gesturing for Evanz to follow him as they walked after Fluke. Fluke sped up slightly, smoothly pulling his phone from his pocket and tapping a quick message to Hollow.

"Nowhere you'd want to be, asshole." Fluke threw over his shoulder. His phone buzzed.

**HOLLOW: Be there in two. Keep walking towards the flat.**

Evanz grinned at Fluke's back. "Or nowhere you'd want us to be?"

Fluke continued to walk, rolling up the sleeves of his blue overshirt so that they were over his elbows, leaving his arms free to move completely unhindered by his choice of attire. I mean, at least he'd look good while he was fighting. He rounded the corner a few paces ahead of the pursuing Ragicans, who sped up slightly to make sure they didn't lose track of him –

Hollow was standing there next to Fluke, a slight smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth. "Oh, hi. Didn't see you there."

"What are you fucking doing here?" Rage glowered.

"You started following my friend. Did you just expect him to lead you back to our place?" Hollow's smirk grew, and his hands, which had been gently resting at his side, slowly curled themselves into fists. Evanz noticed and he raised his arms to his waist, getting ready to defend himself.

"Really? You're going to start a fight in the middle of the street with everyone around?" Evanz said, raising an eyebrow sceptically.

"Of course not. I was merely going to invite you to the park this evening at ten. Down by the old skate park. If you're up for it, I mean." Hollow's smirk was a full smile by now, and he motioned over his shoulder for Fluke to start heading home.

Rage rolled his eyes. "You know, there's no need for you to be so ambiguous. I'll quite happily meet you in the park and beat the shit out of you." And with that, he spun on his heel and headed off, not giving Hollow the satisfaction of being the first to leave.

* * *

><p>10PM rolled around and nothing. No sign of anyone.<p>

Of course, it would be stupid to show up early to a fight. There would be no point in starting the fight any earlier than the time they had set.

At 10:05, the Ragicans turned up. They had anticipated being the first to arrive and took the opportunity to arrange themselves in the most threatening way possible. Rage leant back against the half-pipe, with Evanz standing opposite him. Gubi sat at the top of the half pipe, gently tapping his foot against the smooth wooden ramp.

At 10:07, the Hollowers arrived.

Unbeknownst to both gangs, Leni and Danni were hanging out in the Hollower's flat, watching "Ten Things I Hate About You" and eating popcorn. They were, at that moment, discussing whether or not they should go out to get some more first aid kits.

At 10:08, Rage threw out the first insult. "Aw, it's Hollow and the rest of One Direction." Evanz chuckled and Gubi rolled his eyes, sliding down the half-pipe smoothly and hopping off next to the other members of his gang.

At 10:09, Hollow threw the first punch. Straight into Rage's face.

And at 10:10, both gangs were trading blows with full force.

Fluke slammed an elbow into Evanz's face and felt a satisfying connection which sent Evanz flying backwards into Peace. Peace attempted to shove Evanz to the ground, but Evanz ducked under his arms and rammed into the taller man's stomach, making him grunt as the two separated.

Gubiak and Juke grappled together, kicking at each other's legs and firing punches at each other's guts. His sheer height and training advantage meant that Juke eventually managed to throw Gubiak to the ground, but not before Gubi caught the blond's leg with his own and sent him crashing to the concrete floor of the skate park.

Rage and Hollow were fighting dirty. Hollow hooked his leg behind Rage's knee and sent him stumbling forward, but Rage used it to get behind Hollow and slam hard into his back. Hollow punched Rage square on the nose and the shorter man reeled back, his glasses flying across the skate park and clattering to the ground. Holding his face with one hand, stemming the flow of blood, Rage smacked the heel of his palm into Hollow's chin. Hollow stumbled away, his eyes slightly unfocused; then they narrowed into slits and he charged into Rage again.

Peace had managed to grab Evanz from behind and Fluke came in, aiming to hit the trapped enemy just hard enough to knock him out and remove him from the equation. But Evanz kicked out with his right leg, catching Fluke on the shoulder and sending the blond crashing to the ground. Hollow tripped over Fluke, and as he went down he grabbed onto Evanz, pulling him from Peace's grip and using the smaller boy to cushion his fall.

The whole thing lasted about five minutes. Suddenly, Peace and Rage were the only two left standing and the other brawlers were punching it out on the floor; Juke and Gubiak were trading blows and occasionally switching who was on top, Hollow was firing punches into Evanz's face while Evanz blocked his attacks and tried to throw him off. Rage grabbed at Hollow's shirt and yanked him off, and Peace tackled Gubiak off of Juke.

Everything ground to a halt. The seven of them stood there, panting,

Hollow was the first to realise that nothing was going to come of this. He motioned sharply to his friends, who scrabbled behind him. "We're going. Don't follow us."

The Ragicans made no attempt to pursue the retreating figures of the enemy gang.

In total, Leni and Danni found themselves tending to 3 broken noses, a sprained wrist, 4 black eyes, and a lot of cuts and bruises.

None of them had ever forgotten their first real brawl and none of them had forgiven each other. Needless to say, there hadn't been any encounters like that for three years.

No one could have guessed that more were heading their way, and sooner than they might think.


End file.
